Division Psychiatry welcomes a new canine companion

HM3 Frederick Nazario-Avarado gets kisses from June while HN Sam Malone pets Olivia outside of the division psychiatry office on Camp Lejeune Wednesday morning. June and Olivia are both therapy dogs assigned to the office.

Photo by Maria Sestito/The Daily News

By Thomas Brennan - Thomas.Brennan@JDNews.com

Published: Saturday, May 17, 2014 at 08:39 AM.

Sometimes, all it takes is a cold nose, a wet kiss or a wagging tail to turn things around for Marines and sailors seeking mental health treatment on base.

The mission of the providers at the 2nd Marine Division psychiatry clinic is to provide acute and preventative mental health services; but for two members of the staff, the days consist of showing unconditional affection.

Olivia and June Bug, two therapy dogs that were provided to the psychiatric clinic earlier this year by Southeastern Guide Dogs, greet patients as they walk through the door. According to Cmdr. Pamela Wall, the officer in charge of the clinic, the dogs are known to politely interrupt sessions by “knocking” on the door when a patient is displaying signs of distress or heightened anxiety.

“The benefit is that a dog stimulates conversation about previous interactions with pets,” Wall said. “I think that people enjoy coming in here and interacting with the dog. It helps them relax a bit. They’ve been known to lick the patient or get on their lap, which breaks the anxiety and helps them through whatever situation they are dealing with.”

Research, according to Wall, shows that animal-assisted activities increase mental health and quality-of-life measures and influence positive social behavior. The dogs, she said, have encouraged positive social interactions both inside and outside of the division psychiatry walls. When intertwined with crisis intervention, Wall said the dogs help to break the tension by giving her an additional tool to diffuse patient anxiety and help her use cognitive behavioral interventions that generally don’t work while a patient is in crisis.

Some patients come into her office and are having a hard time relaxing and are generally stoic and unemotional, she said; but as soon as the dog comes up to them, most can’t help but laugh, smile and really enjoy the dogs, helping Wall break the tension and reach a patient more effectively.

“Sometimes the patients will notice that the dogs aren’t here before they notice that I’m not here because they genuinely miss the dogs when they aren’t here for a day,” she said. “People just kind of refocus their attention from what is going on with them once the dogs come into the picture; and seeing them take a break from what is bothering them, even if just for a minute, makes me very happy to see.”

Sometimes, all it takes is a cold nose, a wet kiss or a wagging tail to turn things around for Marines and sailors seeking mental health treatment on base.

The mission of the providers at the 2nd Marine Division psychiatry clinic is to provide acute and preventative mental health services; but for two members of the staff, the days consist of showing unconditional affection.

Olivia and June Bug, two therapy dogs that were provided to the psychiatric clinic earlier this year by Southeastern Guide Dogs, greet patients as they walk through the door. According to Cmdr. Pamela Wall, the officer in charge of the clinic, the dogs are known to politely interrupt sessions by “knocking” on the door when a patient is displaying signs of distress or heightened anxiety.

“The benefit is that a dog stimulates conversation about previous interactions with pets,” Wall said. “I think that people enjoy coming in here and interacting with the dog. It helps them relax a bit. They’ve been known to lick the patient or get on their lap, which breaks the anxiety and helps them through whatever situation they are dealing with.”

Research, according to Wall, shows that animal-assisted activities increase mental health and quality-of-life measures and influence positive social behavior. The dogs, she said, have encouraged positive social interactions both inside and outside of the division psychiatry walls. When intertwined with crisis intervention, Wall said the dogs help to break the tension by giving her an additional tool to diffuse patient anxiety and help her use cognitive behavioral interventions that generally don’t work while a patient is in crisis.

Some patients come into her office and are having a hard time relaxing and are generally stoic and unemotional, she said; but as soon as the dog comes up to them, most can’t help but laugh, smile and really enjoy the dogs, helping Wall break the tension and reach a patient more effectively.

“Sometimes the patients will notice that the dogs aren’t here before they notice that I’m not here because they genuinely miss the dogs when they aren’t here for a day,” she said. “People just kind of refocus their attention from what is going on with them once the dogs come into the picture; and seeing them take a break from what is bothering them, even if just for a minute, makes me very happy to see.”

The corpsmen in the office say working as psychiatric technicians has been easier and more enjoyable because of Olivia and June Bug. Seeing patients smile and enjoy life again, even if only for a short time, makes it worth having the two dogs around, according to Hospital Nurse Sam Malone, 23, of Phoenix.

While he said it may sound corny, Olivia and June Bug are a perfect example of man’s best friend, Malone said. The two dogs, he added, give the Marines and sailors a physical outlet to relieve their stress through petting the dog, hugging it or letting the dog sit in their lap. The best part, he said, is that the pups help patients forget what is going on in their lives, even if it is just for a minute.

While Olivia is generally lazy and June Bug is only slightly more hyper, both dogs interact well with the patients. Because of their “laid back” nature, the dogs allow patients to relax and not feel anything but love from the dogs, Malone said. Dogs, he added, should be incorporated into psychiatry because they make a difference with virtually all diagnoses.

“I notice a really big difference, because most of the time, when people come in here, they aren’t doing as well as they would like, and seeing them interact with Olivia or June is something that really turns them around for the most part,” Malone said. “Even if it’s subtle, they tend to smile. Once they have their first interaction with either dog, they look forward to coming back to see the dogs.”